Child of Slender
by Ashlex in pearl
Summary: This is the story of Sally. Abandoned and left on her own as a baby, she was found and raised by a mysterious man with no face. Follow her journey from the forest to the school grounds of Monster High!
1. Chapter 1

The forest was quiet and calm, a gentle breeze blowing through the tops of the trees. The grass grew in patches, revealing paths that had been walked on, leading through the trees. There was no sound, no crickets in the distance, no birds tweeting in the tree tops, no frogs in the nearby stream. Just silence.

Then, all at once, there was a loud crash, followed by a vehicle rolling down a hill and through a metal fence. The car was damaged beyond repair, the woman inside crushed protecting her baby.

The child, miraculously surviving, was thrown from the car and into a bush near by. She still was wrapped in her soft pink blanket, though it was stained in her mothers blood, as she cried into the night. She was scared, she was confused, she was only a child. So she cried.

Across the forest, there was a stir, a disturbance. It was as if the forest itself had been awoken by the sudden interruption in its natural cycle. There was something new for it to take care of, and it wasn't sure how to respond. And so, He appeared.

He was tall, tall as the trees, dressed in all black, seeming to have many arms. He walked so fluidly, it seemed as if he never touched the ground. He hands hung at his sides, but stroked each tree as he passed close enough. The breeze brushed his head gently, his head long and completely white, no sign of a face to obscure the perfection. But, even so, he could smell the blood, see the crash, and hear the child.

The crash.

The blood.

The child.

As he moved towards the shattered pieces of the car, he was baffled by it. A car, here? The highway was miles off. They must have been driving on a dirt road and lost control. Such a pity. But, it didn't bother him in the least. It was one human, and dinner served right to him. Things turned up in his forest all the time, one less thing in the world wouldn't make a difference.

The child whimpered again nearby, causing him to turn towards her. She had been crying for hours, just trying to reach out to anyone who could help. Curious, He approached, keeping just out of her peripheral. Even from his high up angle, she looked positively dreadful.

And smelled even worse.

A branch cracked under His foot, a careless mistake he had never made before. The child looked up at him and ceased her crying, she merely sniffled feebly, staring at the interesting man before her. How he must have looked to her, tall as the trees, dressed to the nines, but not a face to describe what he was feeling. But she did not cry. She just stare at him, making her baby sounds, hoping he was real.

For a long time they stayed like that, staring at each other. Neither moved, neither made a sound. Hours, days, or maybe just seconds seem to pass before the child whimpered again. She shifted a little, as much as a baby could, rolling onto her stomach. She started to crawl, but looked weak as she crawled towards Him. She stopped just as she reached Him, reaching to touch his foot, but falling short as he stepped back. Then, started crying again.

Perplexed, he tilted his head. Just what was she looking to accomplish? Did she really see no threat in him? But then, how could she? She had not lived long enough to experience the scarier things in life. And so, He crouched down the get a better look at her. She met his gaze, or at least it seemed that way, her crying back down to whimpering again. She looked dreadfully tired and her stomach growled in hunger. In addition there was a foul odor coming from her, bu it wasn't one He could identify. She reached up to touch his knee, slowly inching closer, her little arm shaking, trying to support her weight. But He merely stood and turned away, starting to walk.

He slumped his shoulders and sighed as he walked away. She was a persistent creature. What was it she was so determined to do? Humans were the one thing he chose to not understand.

He stopped again when he heard her screaming, much louder this time. What now? Could she possibly want his attention that much? Reluctantly, and with his new found curiosity, He wandered back to the child, keeping to the shadow of the near tree. The child had rolled onto her back again, only this time, a large spider was crawling across her stomach. It was harmless, even He knew that, but the child sounded as if she were being attacked. She thrashed about, which in her weakened state seemed to just be fussing, and screamed as loud as she could.

Before He could understand what it was he was doing, he walked over to the child and brushed the spider off of her with one of his arms. She ceased her screaming and looked up at him, her face stained with her tears, which continued to spill down from her eyes. She sniffled, rubbing her eyes and her nose, before reaching up to Him.

He tilted his head, confused by the gesture. What did it mean? Did she want something?

"Uh...! Uh!" she seemed as if she were trying to say something, "Uh... uhp! Uhp!"

Oh... up. She wanted up? To be picked up maybe? Curiosity drove him further as He picked her up with his main two arms, cradling her the way he had seen on discarded pieces of paper he found.

She sniffled and whimpered a little. She quickly made herself comfortable and closed her eyes, relaxing in his arms. This confused Him entirely. No human has ever been so comfortable around him. Esepcially not young children. He imagines it for a moment, the children running and screaming, crying for their parents. The scared look in their eyes. It brought him such delight.

He looked down at the girl again, tilting his head. She had fallen asleep, still shaking. She wasn't scared, was she just cold? He wrapped the blanket tighter around her. She felt skinny; he could almost feel her bones.

He just looked up and carried her off. A strange situation he seemed to be in. On the one hand, he could leave the child to just perish in the forest, but her crying would just worsen. Did that bother him? All the children he's brought to the forest were under his control. But... this one was different. She seemed unaffected by anything he did. What it must take to frighten a child so brave! Maybe he just didn't like the crying.

But on the other hand, there was the issue of taking her in. An issue, because he didn't know anything about taking care of a human child.

But, as he looked down at her, sleeping as she was, he didn't think of that. Was it his loneliness setting in? He'd never noticed it before this day. If he could figure out how to care for her, maybe he wouldn't have to be lonely.

On his empty face, a smile began to creep across, where one had never crossed before.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'll be honest, I was going to let this one go. I was going to let it just sink back and fade to a memory. But... that wouldn't be fair to Sally, and I know her story has to be told. So, I stepped up to the plate and wrote out another chapter. I apologize if it seems a bit short, it just seemed appropriate.**

* * *

Time moved seamlessly in His forest, as if it were a world of its own. The sun and moon still rose opposite each other, but it was difficult to tell just how long between they were. Not that He minded one bit. The concept of the passage of time was something unknown to him, he being one who was content to float just behind others until the end of time.

And yet, here and now, he found himself counting the time down, every since She arrived.

The time they spent suddenly became important to him, another concept He never truly understood. Was this what humans felt like all the time? Did they always feel like sense of time growing smaller and smaller, the thrill of the end creeping up on them? Or did they simply stress about it so much that it wore them down until they were nothing? No matter the answer, it frustrated Him dearly. Was he becoming more human? Was it Her fault?

The child grew quickly in what seemed like a short time. He had built a tiny shack for her to keep her safe during the night since she didn't seem like she could go without the sleep for very long. Often he would notice her wandering the forest on her own, always returning with something strange she had found.

"Kah!" She held up a flimsy paper thing filled with pages covered in things that made no sense to him. A book… of sorts? She couldn't speak well, and didn't seem like she understood the things she was collecting. Often times she couldn't walk very well either, but she was spirited. Always a smile on her face when she approached Him, His lack thereof not bothering her at all.

Caring for her had proved to be more simple than He had originally thought. There were things around the forest that he often found her eating. It didn't seem dangerous to her, and she seemed to move around better after she did. Still he went and found more for her, making sure she was happy. Luckily the car she had arrived in seemed to have plenty to give to her. It was all mushy and unappetizing, but She never complained, never cried, and she always stayed close to their home. For so long, it seemed, He stayed with her, keeping watch over her.

But, it was starting to affect Him in a negative way.

He had spent so much time making sure she was happy and that she was well fed, that He himself hadn't eaten since he found her. There was never a chance to sneak away for a bite, and even if he tried he couldn't help but wonder if she would be alright on her own. Sure, she wandered the trees by herself, but He was never far behind her. This time, he would have to leave her on her own so he could find his own food.

He raised his head to the sky as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. What if he brought her with him? It would be a good way for her to see a bit of the world outside, and He would be able to keep close watch on her while he hunted. It didn't seem like a bad idea. At the time.

* * *

As He stood over her, he crouched a little and gestured with his hand for her to come closer. Curious, she tilted her head to the side and stepped closer to him, stumbling a little as she often did. He simply caught her and carried her, starting to walk smoothly towards the edge of the forest. He could feel Her begin to shake, just a little bit. Was she afraid of the world she didn't understand? How strange, when she was now a part of a world no one could understand.

It didn't take them long to find the street that the child's mother must have driven off of. A simple road, cars on either side driving by now and then. Even still it was a bit unusual to see more humans out and about. These parts were never usually so busy.

He sat Her down onto her feet and put a hand on her head. He tried to make her understand she is to stay where she is. She was still nervously staring at the street. As he let her go, he could feel her gaze on him as he moved closer to the road. With his fluidity, he crossed the street in an instant. He could tell She was still watching him, and that She was surprised by his movements. But his attention was somewhere else, somewhere just up the road.

The cars no longer drove by, the air around them quiet as He watched closely. Up ahead was another human, a woman much like the girls mother. She was moving at a quicker pace than normal humans, her fingers to her neck as stared at something on her wrist. He listened, hearing her accelerated heartbeat pumping her blood quickly through her veins. Her breathing was uneven, despite seeming like she did this on a normal basis. As she glanced up at the road, she slowed to a much more even walk, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. She let out a sigh as she did and looked around, surveying her surroundings.

Then she saw Her, and stopped in her tracks.

Of course the girl was frightened. She had been spotted by an unfamiliar human. The woman was more surprised than anything. She quickly glanced up and down the road before running across the street towards Her.

"Hey, little girl, are you alright?" The woman as she slowly approached the child, "Where are your parents? Do they know you're all alone?"

The girl looked confused, "Pah...rents…?" she repeated back, as if the word was so strange to her.

The woman crouched down and smiled at her, "Yes, your mother, or your father. What are their names?"

The girl looked up over the woman, one of the words resonating inside her. She smiled her big, bright smile, and pointed over the womans head, "Father!" she cried out.

The woman barely had time to react before He was on her. He grabbed her with every arm he could to keep her from struggling as they moved into the trees. He held her up over him, looking her over as she struggled, the terror in her eyes setting in. She looked like most human females, and most of them that came through at the fast pace she did. Her clothes didn't cover much of her skin and the skin that was showing had a shine to it.

The woman tried her best not to look at the frightening man holding her in the air, hell, she wasn't even sure he truly was a man! Instead, her gaze stuck to the child, as if trying to tell her she needs to run. The girl looked confused, but not just at the woman. She looked to Him, the one she called out to as her father, and seemed to question him with her gaze. He, of course, did not understand her gaze at all, and simply proceeded with his task at hand.

He loosened up his grip on the woman ever so slightly, but it was just enough for to slip out. She screamed out in terror, running towards the girl, "Come on! You must go!" she screamed.

The girl back away a little, her eyes starting to glisten, her fear making her heartbeat faster. She was scared, frightened by this woman. And that fear made Him angry. The closer she got to the girl, the quicker He caught up to her. This time he grabbed with enough force to break her in two. As he did, there was a sickening crack, just before she fell over, slumped and crooked. She coughed up more blood than it seemed possible, some reaching the girl as she stood so close.

The girl screamed. She screamed louder than He had ever heard her scream, her eyes locked onto the woman's crumpled body. He didn't know what to do. And even before He could react, she ran. The girl ran as fast as she could without falling into the forest, back to the home she knew.

What was that about? He began to wonder. He looked at the woman's lifeless corpse and remembered something. Of course, she was only human after all. And humans don't react well to violence.

* * *

He returned to the forest, listening to see if he could find her again. She wasn't out wandering the trees, not out by the stream, and not picking up strange things that drifted down. Once he had circled the entire forest, he returned to the tiny shack in the center. It was there that he heard her quickened heartbeat again.

Since he built the little home for her, he had not been inside it. He never felt the curiosity to peek inside, never thought it mattered whether he did or not. As he leaned over to get a better look, he opened the little door and glanced inside.

The floor was hidden beneath various books, dolls, papers, and so much more she had collected. In the corner looked like a tiny nest, the squishy white cloth rectangles piled around as if they were hiding something. He realized what it was when he saw Her little head peek out and quickly hide again.

Moving closer, he knelt down to see inside of her little shack she created with these things she found. She seemed to move back further from him, a gesture he was much more familiar with, and yet, he still was confused. Was she finally afraid of him? Did she see reason to want to hide away. He moved back, leaving out of the shack again. Just as he stepped outside the door and straightened himself up, he felt a tug at his leg. As he looked down he saw her clinging to him. She still shook, still looked afraid, and yet, she seemed calmed by his presence. She held tightly onto a piece of her mini shack and sniffled, rubbing her eyes. She stared right up at him. For a long time, neither of them moved.

Finally, He knelt down again and leveled her face to his head. She sniffled and grabbed at his arm, pulling him towards the shack.

"Father," she sniffled, frowning as she tugged him a little.

The man was surprised, she had said it again! Was it not He she was afraid of? Thinking back on it, He began to wonder if it was just the whole scenario that frightened her. It could have been the woman, and it could have been the way she died. Humans tend to fear what they can not understand. But, She could never fear Him, it seemed. Could it be she understood him? Or did she simply understand that he was keeping her alive?"

He nodded, making the girl smile her bright smile again, "Father." Repeating the word back to her, he followed her into the shack and closed the door, keeping her safe from the outside world.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey... So this seems to be a yearly thing, huh? :D I mean it this time. I will write more often.**

**but, hey, feel free to bug me on tumblr if you think I'm taking too long or if you just want to ask about the story. The link is on my profile**

* * *

After the incident with the other human, He decided it was best for him to hunt on occasion and alone. The girl had finally calmed down enough after a couple of days to leave the shack and resume her strange routine of collecting human items around the forest. Seeing her back to normal put Him at ease. He didn't like the feeling she was giving him. It was almost like despair, something he wasn't accustomed to feeling himself.

As she was sitting in the clearing one day, drawing shapes onto various papers she had found, He sat beside her. He picked up one of the pages she had sat to the side and looked it over. On one side, she had drawn Him with a bunch of trees stretching IP to the sky with him. On the other side it seemed to be a flyer for something. It read:

"Monster High: A home for all monsters! Semester starting soon. Sign up today to begin your new fangtastic school career!"

He recognized it, a lot of the pages that turned up here had the same thing written on them. The school was in a near town, away from the humans. It was cut off from the rest of the world, much like His forest. New students came from all over every year, more and more each time. Some nights he could hear the werewolves howl and sometimes the ghosts would wander through to play tricks on the humans.

He set the paper back down again and looked at her. She was preoccupied with her drawings, she didn't even seem to notice him there. All the pages around her were either of Him, of the trees, some with just a bunch of X's, or any combination.

"Why?" He found himself asking her, "Why do you draw these things?"

She didn't react, no stop in her drawing, no change in her expression.

He tilted his head, "You can't hear me, can you child?"

He sat in silence for a little while until she finished what she was drawing and noticed he was there. Smiling big, she held it up to him.

Tilted his head, He took the picture and held it closer to see it. It was the most detailed one she had ever done, even though it was drawn over some listings for human foods and numbers. He was one one side, neatly lined, dressed in all black, with just his two main arms hanging beside him. Beside him, she seemed to draw herself. She looked almost the same as he did, only she seemed to be wearing a dress of pinks and blues. He arm was connected to his as they stood in front of a bunch of trees. Though neither of them had faces, they both shared one thing, something that held His gaze for a long time.

They were both smiling.

In all the other pictures she drew, she had just scribbled him just as long lines beside the trees with a circle on top for his head. It was rare for her to draw anything else, and yet, she now drew what she thought she herself looked like. It was clear to him that she didn't know what to draw for herself, so she just made herself look like Him. She saw him as her true Father. Something swelled inside him, He felt lighter somehow. But, it wasn't just the picture that made him smile.

She was happy. She was happy here. She was happy with Him.

He turned his attention to her- she was eagerly awaiting his reaction- and put his hand on her head. Her whole expression changed as she suddenly jumped up and hugged him as tight as she could, giggling all the way.

As he tucked the picture into his pocket, he noticed something different. He picked the girl up as she clung to him, and cradled her close. As she curled up in his arms, she seemed to fall asleep quickly. He stood, carrying her back to her shack.

He looked down at her, pushing her thin hair from her face. She seemed paler than before. And falling asleep so early in the day was unusual for her. The rest of her day would usually be filled with running about the forest, collecting trash, chasing the birds, and catching spiders. And yet...

* * *

Once he got her back to the shack, he laid her down in her little nest and tilted his head. As he watched her for a moment, she seemed to shiver before reaching for a tattered piece of fabric. She pulled it over her shoulder and went back to sleeping peacefully.

He had noticed this odd change in her over the last few days at least. Though she was usually active and excitable, lately she was more somber and slept a lot more. Was something wrong? Could she be ill? Humans were more fragile than he gave them credit for, so they were more susceptible to illnesses. Often times, when he was tracking a human before he captured them, they would fall ill to something that kept them in bed.

The thought made him straighten up. Was it His fault? Was his presence toxic to humans? Of course he never had been around a human for this long before, so it's not as if he had much to compare to. But, they always got so sick when he was around them. Was His presence endangering Her life?

It perplexes him. Humans were such odd creatures. They did irrational things like jumping at the slightest sound or screaming at shadows. But, if it was possible that He was making them sick by being around them, was it the same with this child? Was it his fault she was suddenly so sick? The thought left a heaviness in his chest, the overwhelming dread returning once again. If it helped her... Could he just leave her? No, that would make her unhappy.

But... If it improved her health, shouldn't He do the right thing to save her? Did he really believe that?

Do the right thing? Save her? When had he developed such a human way of thinking?

He watched her face for as long as he could, memorizing her features. She was about the age that he used to begin to follow other children. It was the age where they were big enough to walk on their own, but not quite old enough to be alone. A time where most of them talked and never stopped. Her hair was dark, but it was very thin, like a shadow outlining her head. Her face was also round, despite how skinny she was, her cheekbones clear beneath her eyes.

Her eyes, which had watched Him mover around the forest, studying the way he never seemed to waiver or touch the ground. She had tried to move like him, trying to fly across branches and streams, only to end up face down in the water or the dirt. When He had helped her up, she would just laugh and hug him, or pull him along to see something else.

Dropping his head, he pulled his gaze away and left the little shack. He moved away from it and didn't stop.

"This has gone too far," he said to himself, "I should not have left the child alive."

As the words left him, he stopped. Was that really true? Did he really feel that way? The heaviness in his chest was telling him otherwise. But he ignored it. Before he found her, he was content with his existence. He didn't have to worry about anything but the forest. Looking around, he saw the signs of Her everywhere.

Footprints everywhere.

Broken branches.

More drawings.

He slumped his shoulders and just continues on. He told himself this was for the best. He was not human, how could he care for a human child? He didn't even have the same emotions. There was nothing good inside Him.

Only destruction.

So, to save her, he would have to leave her behind. At least to see if he was really the one making her sick.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: You guys are so awesome, thanks so much for sticking by! I wanted to space these chapters out a bit more, but I'm too excited to wait. Really glad you guys are enjoying this **

* * *

Silence.

The morning was still with not a stir of anything around. The sun shining in from the little window illuminated the little girls face. The light hitting her eyes woke her, stirring her from the dreamless sleep she was having.

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up from her bed of pillows and looked around. It was still a bit dark apart from the ray of light coming in from the window. She tossed her makeshift blanket to the side and stood, steadying herself. She was always a bit dizzy right after she woke up, but it wasn't so bad this time.

She looked to the pile of magazines sitting beside her bed. A thin layer of dust was beginning to grow. It had been a while since she added to the pile, she acknowledged. Maybe she'd find some more lying around today.

As she was looking at them, there was a shadow cast across the light. It was long and spindly, and seemed to move a bit awkwardly in the light. It was so familiar. She smiled at it as she turned and ran straight through the door.

"Father!" She called as she threw the door open. But, her smile faded when she was only met by the morning air. He was nowhere around. Had she just imagined it? She looked over towards the window and saw a long legged spider crawling across the bottom of it. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Oh well, how often was he there to greet her right in the morning anyway? She'd see him around soon enough, and that was enough to make her smile.

Going back into her shack, she put on a pink dress she had found in the trash. It wasn't too dirty, and even had a pretty pink bow for her hair. Smiling to herself, she headed back out.

She spent the morning collecting flowers. There weren't many in the forest, but the further out she went, the more she found. It was almost like the flowers knew where they were allowed to grow. As she walked, , she continuously checked over her shoulder. Every time she saw nothing, she just frowned and looked back ahead.

The forest was more ominously quiet, She noticed. The animals that were scurrying around didn't make much sound at all, as if they too knew something was unusual. But She couldn't focus too much in that, much more than stay awake. She felt as if she had been walking for a while, even though she knew it couldn't have been long. And even though she was exhausted already, she pressed on, more and more determined to make it to the other side of the forest. She knew He had to turn up by then. Even when he would leave for a while, he always turned up to check on her. The forest was not that big, so he was always at the edge of her vision.

So then where was He now?

She held the flowers she had found close as her vision began to fade away. She stumbled a little, her eyes starting to water.

Then, the forest ended. The girl looked confused as she found the open road. She looked back at the forest. It was dark, shadows blurring the trees together. She squinted, trying to make out the shapes in the dark. As she stared, she thought she saw one move in a familiar way.

"Father!" She called, started to run back towards it. Her tears started to stream down her face, her vision blurring further. In her quick movements, she stumbled again, and fell forward.

Then it was dark.

* * *

Through the darkness, there were unfamiliar sounds. They seemed to be far away, but turned back to her now and then. They seemed to be voices.

Voices of people.

"Is she...coming to?"

There were footsteps approaching Her, then. She wanted desperately to curl up, to move away from them. But she couldn't find the strength to do anything but open her eyes.

Above her she could make out a man and a woman. They both were staring at her.

"Y-Yes, I think she's waking up now," the woman was talking to something in her hand.

The man came closer into her view, his face twisted up on a frown, "Little girl, can you hear me?" He asked her in a gentle tone.

The girl stared up. She managed to move her eyes to meet his. He seemed relieved by the small action.

"Hey, yeah, we're here to help you," he said, "What's your name?"

The girl didn't understand the question. She wasn't exactly sure what he wanted her to tell him. She started to make a confused sound, but it came out as a fit of hard coughs. She felt the man lift her to the side as she threw something up. It burned in her throat as she began to cry. It hurt her terribly, she just wanted it to stop.

The man lifted her up, cradling her in his arms to try and comfort her, "Easy now, it's okay," he said quietly.

The way he held her was familiar. It reminded her of the reason she was out here. She cried out away, desperate to get free from his grip as she pushed away from him, "F...Father..." she called out, though her voice was very weak.

The man frowned and looked at the woman, "Do you think she was separated from her parents?" He asked her.

"I think we would have seen some sign of them. But, there's nothing out here for miles."

While they were distracted looking around them for any sign of other people, She found the strength to free herself from him and scurry away. She stumbled to a crawl as she tried desperately to reach the edge of the forest, reaching for the trees.

"Little girl! Wait!"

The girl sobbed to herself as she made it back to her feet, stumbling her way back through the trees. She only passed a few before she had to stop, leaning against the closest one. She looked up, her blurry vision searching the tree tops again. One shadow seemed to change shape before her, one familiar white orb floating above the rest.

"Father!" she yelled, her voice just above a raspy whisper. The white disappeared, as did the rest of the trees as she fell forward again, blacking out before she ever hit the ground.


End file.
